Alabama State Advocacy Day for Alzheimer’s

MONTGOMERY, Al. (Alabama News Network) The Alabama Alzheimer’s Association hosted Alzheimer’s Awareness Day at the State House Tuesday. Alabama is one of two states that recognizes Alzheimer’s as a mental health issue.

Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Chairman Greg Albritton is introducing legislation that will move Alzheimer’s disease and dementia to the Alabama Department of Public Health. The move would allow the state to receive funding for research and patients.

“We’ve just got to keep up the work,” Larry Means, a board member of the Alabama Alzheimer’s Association, told us. “There will be a lot of work to do, and we’ve got to depend on the legislature to help us out with that because we’re going to need some funding. It’s like cancer or anything else… it’s just getting more and more prevalent, so we look forward to working with legislature on it”

Alabama ranks number three in the nation for deaths caused by Alzheimer’s and dementia.